Not willing to wholesale? Want top dollar? Selling your home is a real art form these days. The marketing! The needed upgrades! The staging! Yet there's one thing that you, often forget, being one of the Biggest Problems: The household PETS.

Would-be buyers don't care how much you love your pets. Appointment Only for pet reasons is a big deterrent. And they're not interested in seeing — or smelling — evidence of Fido or Fifi.

People are really, really sensitive about pets. One of the biggest reasons people will or won't buy a house is odor.

So how do you scrub all evidence of your pets from your home before you sell it, especially if you've lived there with them for a decade or more?

Step away from that can of Lysol. We've got some expert tips that really work.

Make your pet scarce

If at all possible, keep your animals out of the house whenever you're showing your home, the National Association of Realtors advises. There's nothing more off-putting for a homebuyer than opening the door to an aggressive or hyperactive dog. If the pet If must be at home, put it away, and make sure the real-estate agent knows exactly where it is. Remember: Few buyers think your dog or cat is as charming as you do.

Go on a hair hunt

The first thing that you want to get rid of is evidence of hair. You've got to get a really good machine to pick up hair.

If you're going to "stage" your home using your own furniture, vacuuming alone doesn't always cut it. Checking out Sticky Sheets — big, adhesive sheets, like lint rollers, that pick up everything on sofas and chairs. Don't forget to vacuum and launder your drapes. They can hold plenty of hair and smells.

Find trouble spots on the floor

Your floors are going to pose the biggest challenge to de-petting your home.

How do you know that you're locating all the trouble spots you need to address? Here's an advanced move: Buy a battery-powered ultraviolet (aka "black") light like the Stink-Free Stink Finder (about $18) or Bramton's Simple Solution Spot Spotter (about $12), Used in complete darkness, these lights will show everywhere that your pet has peed, sprayed or vomited. Mark the spots with masking tape so you can focus on them. Follow all directions, and test cleaners on a small, less-seen area first to test for colorfastness.

Tackle the carpeting

If you have carpeting, such as wall-to-wall carpeting, that traps a lot of odor and a lot of hair. The padding beneath the carpet can often grab and hold odor and stains, too. Urine can even seep into the plywood or presswood subfloor and into places like the carpet tack strip (usually raw wood).

The bad news? For serious pet stains, even professional carpet cleaning won't do the trick. In fact, adding water (think carpet shampooing, or even a humid or rainy day) can simply "reactivate" the smells. Not what you want at an open house! The good news? You can try to extract it all.

We recommend applying a cleaning product that is a "bacteria/enzyme digester." These products literally enter the carpet or other problem area and break down the stains and smells. Don't expect instant gratification; often you have to apply them and leave them to dry for a day or two. We suggest: Simple Solution Stain and Odor Remover by Bramton or Urine Erase

When the "stain" part of the pet stain is worse than any odor, bubbling oxygen cleaners are a particularly good choice. These use hydrogen peroxide to break down stains and odors. One product that our experts really love — is Get Serious! It not only removes the odor and stain, but also pulls out the pheromone that encourages pets to visit the spot again,

Clean up your hardwoods

Some seemingly hard surfaces will absorb urine — flat- or matte-finish latex paint, unfinished wood, unsealed concrete and vinyl tile between the cracks. In these cases, where urine has been absorbed and can linger, use a chemical deodorizer and cleaner first, Aslett says. If the odor problem is quite serious, seal, varnish or repaint the surface afterward to help lock in any odors.

Another hardwood floors tip: Many animals don't like the smell of citrus and they will avoid it. To clean hardwood floors and the wooden legs of furniture nicely while also keeping pets off of them, scrub them with citrus. Use the juiced lemons and oranges after preparing drinks or food, etc. Wipe with a damp sponge to pick up any residue. "No amount of Murphy's Oil Soap gets floors as sparkling. It's labor intensive But even if you do just around the edges — for instance, by a wall you've just painted — it should help "corral" your animals.

Touch up the walls

If you've been in your house for a while, pay close attention to your walls: Animals sometimes like to spray them or rub up against them. The oils in their coats can discolor them over time and leave lasting odors. If the problem is subtle, trying wiping it clean. We recommend a water-soluble deodorant such as Nilodor Surface Deodorizer.

If stains are stubborn, wash and then repaint with a non-VOC paint (one that doesn't off-gas). But if you've lived in the house for a long time, you might have to tear out and replace some drywall to get rid of the entrenched animal scent.

Clear the air

A great way to improve the atmosphere of your rooms, is to clean your home's furnace or air-conditioning filters. Then take essential oils — only the real stuff, from a health-food store — and dab several drops on the filter before replacing it. This a wonderful, great way to pump scent through the air and is less obvious than, say, lighting a bunch of candles, which screams, I'm hiding something.

We recommend lavender oil or patchouli. "They operate very nicely on a person's olfactory sense." Think you need to go deeper? Get your ducts cleaned before showing the home. A home's air ducts can collect everything from animal dander and hair to skin cells, mold and dust — things that will agitate a particularly sensitive would-be homebuyer. Also, if you have cats and have been using clay kitty litter, definitely get your ducts cleaned. The micro-dust generated from clay litter goes everywhere. (And if you're still in the house, switch to a non-clay litter.)

Discover the scent to sell

"Realtors are always saying to bake an apple pie if you're selling your house, because it works. When selling a house that's had pets, what you don't want is for it to seem like perfumes or pies are trying to mask anything. So, a clean smell is great.

Add some quick atmosphere, bake an apple for 15 minutes with a cinnamon stick inside it. Or, take a stick or two of cinnamon and put them in a pot of water and gently simmer it on the stove top. You can also throw in some cloves and orange rind. "This is kind of a Christmasy smell that most people like." In a vacant home, there are plenty of air fresheners to simulate.

Get out the scrubbing bubbles

A lot of people keep the litter box in a bathroom, where over time the porcelain and grout can get stained. A great way to remove stains is to pour out some baking soda, then some dishwashing liquid and finally add some plain white vinegar. You'll get a foaming explosion of acidic suds. It's like a natural bleach and it will draw out the odor. It's cheap, effective and avoids the use of noxious chemicals.

Also add some baking soda and vinegar to the washing machine (with detergent) when washing dog beds and other materials animals have used. It really does cut down on odors.

Bag odors

Sometimes you just want to throw a bag over an odor. One of those places is the mattress where an animal might often sleep but which you need to leave in the house for staging. Use Get Serious! on the mattress — apply and then blot. If the mattress is a serious challenge we recommend a mattress protector by Crypton to seal in "whatever might be in there, for the purposes of showing the house."

Another way to bag odors: Moso Natural Air Purifying Bags. The burlap bags ($9.95-$22.95; they look a bit like pillows) are filled with bamboo charcoal. Hang one anywhere you want to eliminate odors. The bag works like a low-tech dehumidifier, swallowing moisture and stink. Put it in closets, where pet smells can gather. To refresh it, simply hang it in the sunshine

Call in a pro

If urine damage is really bad and has occurred repeatedly over a long period, it's really hard to remove the evidence. Seriously consider calling in a professional deodorizing technician, not just a carpet cleaner. Though sometimes the carpet can be saved, in most cases replacement (of carpeting and padding, and sealing of the subfloor beneath) is the most realistic solution to widespread urine damage.

Some people resist the cost and shouldn't. If you've got a $400,000 house – why let a $2,000 carpet ruin the sale?" Put down new carpet.

One final tip, as you look toward your next home: The best cure for pet cleanup is NOW. At your next home, jump on any of Spot's accidents ASAP, so you'll have less to worry about in the future.

Follow these tips, and you'll be wagging your tail when the homebuyers coming knocking and the offers come pouring in.

When receiving real estate advice, individuals should always seek their own legal and tax advice pertaining to each persons financial portfolio. We are a real estate solutions and investment firm that specialize in helping homeowners by purchasing or selling assets with NO REPAIRS & NO SHOWINGS or Sell renovated for Top Dollar with the Best Design advice and multi-million dollar advertising experience! SoCal Superior Properties, Foreclosure-Recovery.com & VeteransHomeBuilding.com has access to some of the nations largest groups of investors, ready to purchase homes. Expert Advice~

SoCal Superior Properties Inc. can buy homes for cash or help Buy or Sell in the more traditional form.